Database management is the system for managing data that supports the company’s business operations. It involves storing data, disseminating it to users and applications and editing it as required and monitoring changes to the data and stopping data corruption due unexpected failure. It is a part of the informational infrastructure of a business that supports decision making and corporate growth as well as compliance with laws such as the GDPR and the California Consumer Privacy Act.
In the 1960s, Charles Bachman and IBM along with other companies developed the first database systems. They evolved into information management systems (IMS), which allowed huge amounts of data to be stored and retrieved for a range of purposes. From calculating inventory, to aiding complicated financial accounting functions, and human resource functions.
A database consists of a set of tables that are organized according to some scheme, such as one-to-many relationships. It utilizes primary key to identify records, and also allows cross-references among tables. Each table contains a number of fields, called attributes, that represent facts about the entities that comprise the data. The most widely used type of database that is currently in use is a relational model designed by E. F. “Ted” Codd at IBM in the 1970s. This model is based on normalizing data to make it easier to use. It is also easier to update data because it doesn’t require the modification of several databases.
Most DBMSs can accommodate various types of databases, by providing different levels of internal and external organization. The internal level deals with cost, scalability and other operational concerns, such as the layout of the physical storage. The external level determines how the database appears in user interfaces and other applications. It could comprise a combination of different external views (based on different data models) and could also include virtual tables that are computed from generic data to improve performance.